Month: September 2018

It is difficult to write this week’s column, as it is my last one. After 30 years of service, I retire October 1 from University of Illinois Extension.

Over the years, writing this column has been one of my favorite tasks. This column marks my 797th Saturday column in the Canton Daily Ledger. Through these many articles, we have explored many horticultural topics together, and I have learned so much along the way.

Together we’ve explored lawn care, growing vegetables, flower maintenance, water gardens, and landscaping for wildlife. We learned about specific flowers including my favorites: lily-of-the-valley, poppies, jack-in-the-pulpit, and tropicals. We discovered new and old houseplants, such as Norfolk Island pine, Boston fern, Ti plant, Easter Lilies, and Poinsettias. We learned how to grow food indoors and how to start seeds to plant outdoors in the spring. We now know where various “spirits” come from and more about spices, coffee, and sugar.

My favorite articles are the ones that discuss how plants help us live better and healthier lives. This is the message I leave you in my last column.

I’ve written many times about the psychological benefits of plants. Because of their simplicity, plants and natural scenes reduce physical and mental excitement and improve our health. They help us heal faster, concentrate better, and reduce stress. Overall, being around plants simply makes us happier. A 2010 study in the journal Environmental Science & Technology found that just five minutes outside is all it takes to get the mood-boosting effect that plants and nature provide.

More than that, we cannot live without plants. Plants cleanse our air, provide the oxygen we breathe, and are the source of all the food we eat. They provide us with medicine, cosmetics, cleansers, and so much more.

Rest assured that this column will continue in my absence. A search begins soon to find my replacement. Until then, you will read articles written by other University of Illinois Extension horticulture educators across Illinois.

Thanks for allowing me to share my love and passion for plants with you. Happy Gardening!

As I wrote last week, I retire on October 1 after 30 years with University of Illinois Extension and am focusing my last couple columns on my favorite plants. Although I love many flowers, the poppy is probably my favorite. I am not sure why, but I have a fascination with poppies. I collect antique Hall China in the orange poppy pattern and have my kitchen decorated in poppies.

There are many different types of poppies. One source lists 39 different species alone. Most people grow either the perennial Oriental poppy or one of the many annual-type poppies.

The Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale) is the largest and most eye-catching of the poppies. It grows 18-36 inches tall and blooms in early summer. The single flowers are orange, scarlet, pink, or white blooms with dark centers. There are many different varieties available including ‘Pizzicato’ that produces up to 20 huge flowers per plant and the dwarf scarlet one called “Dwarf Allegro’.

The foliage of Oriental poppy dies after flowering and leaves open spaces in the garden for the rest of the season. Use other plants around the poppy to conceal the dying foliage or vacant space. I’ve had good success using Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila paniculata) and hibiscus. Remember that poppies do best if left undisturbed so it can reseed itself. The Oriental poppy can be started by dividing old clumps or by sowing seed. Plants will not bloom until the 2nd year.

The annual-type poppies are usually grown as annuals here, although some are short-lived perennials. Regardless, we usually reseed or replant these each year. These poppies have a much longer bloom time than Oriental poppies. The foliage does not die back and we get flowers each year.

The corn or field poppy is a red flowering annual (Papaver rhoeas). Like most poppies, it does best in areas with cooler summers. In our hot summer climate, light afternoon shade is often needed for best success. If established, it is a vigorous self-seeding annual that is invasive in some areas. A good cultivar to try it ‘Angels Choir.’ It grows 18 to 24 inches tall with old-rose colors of pinks, whites, and reds.

This red poppy is represented in the American Legion Auxiliary’s Poppy Program. Their remembrance red poppy is an artificial flower that has been used since 1921 to commemorate military personnel who have died in war. According to their website, “From the battlefields of World War I, weary soldiers brought home the memory of a barren landscape transformed by wild poppies, red as the blood that had soaked the soil.” “By that miracle of nature, the spirit of their lost comrades lived on.” “The poppy became a symbol of the sacrifice of lives in war and represented the hope that none had died in vain.”

The poppy’s beautiful symbolism, bright colors, and silky feel make it one of my favorites.

I retire on October 1 after 30 years with University of Illinois Extension. I’ve decided to focus my last couple columns on my favorite plants. I’ll start with herbs. As most of my regular readers know, I grow a lot of herbs and use them to make a variety of tea blends.

Over the years, I’ve found that teas are much more than just a beverage. Sitting down to a cup of tea is a great way to lift us out of the hurrying present, even if just for a little while.

I find joy in the entire process of growing, harvesting, drying, storing, brewing, and drinking tea. It is fun to use fancy teapots and different teacups. I enjoy trying new herbal mixes and am particularly interested in teas with reported calming effects. Those sometimes touted as good evening teas for relaxation include lavender, chamomile, and valerian.

Lavender is one of my favorite herbs. The mild floral scent is heavenly and therapeutic. Studies have shown that just smelling lavender can reduce anxiety. Lavender is a perennial plant here and should survive a central Illinois winter. It does prefer a well-drained soil, however, and can die out in early spring if the roots stay wet too long. I harvest the leaves and flowers separately because I think the flowers make a stronger tea. Use 1 teaspoon of dry or 2 teaspoons of fresh lavender in a cup of boiling water and steep 3-5 minutes.

Chamomile has been used for years to help “induce sleep.” There are two types of chamomile: German (Matricaria recutita) and Roman (Chamaemelum nobile). The Roman is a low growing perennial, while the German is a cool season annual plant. I grow the German chamomile in my garden. It has a dainty, daisy-like flower that is picked and dried to make tea. I often mix my chamomile with a lemon herb like lemon verbena and add a bit of honey for sweetness. Use 2 teaspoons dry or 1 tablespoon of fresh flowers and steep in boiling water for 5 minutes or more.

Valerian is a hardy perennial flowering herb. The roots of this plant are dried and ground to make tea. I don’t grow this plant (yet), but you can see it in the herb garden at Luthy Botanical Garden in Peoria. Valerian is used in commercial teas. For example, Celestial Seasonings says that their Sleepytime Extra Wellness Tea has “calming valerian to help gently lull you to sleep.” It also includes chamomile and spearmint.

To learn how I harvest and dry herbs, watch my Harvesting Herbs YouTube Video at go.illinois.edu/ILRiverHortvideos. I also demonstrate making my Surprise Spice Tea in the Indoor Edible Gardens video.

Need a respite from life’s stresses? Try unwinding with a delicious cup of tea.

While enjoying coffee in the garden, I noticed that my largest ornamental banana is starting to flower. For many years I’ve been growing banana plants around my pool to give it a tropical feel in the summer. By autumn they have large stems with four- to five-foot-long leaves that soar to heights over ten feet tall.

Bananas are grown here for their ornamental value. Although some might bloom, we don’t have a long enough growing season for fruit to develop and ripen.

Ornamental bananas come in a variety of leaf colors from green to variegated green and red.

I typically plant several solid green ones (Musa sp.) in the ground each summer, which I overwinter in my basement or heated garage. After the first frost, I cut off the leaves, leaving the main trunk and any suckers. I dig up as much root ball as fits in a five-gallon bucket and move them indoors. These plants will last the winter in a dormant state with very little water or light. In early spring I give them a sunny window and lots of water to boost their growth, before planting them outside again in early May. Watch my video on overwintering bananas at go.illinois.edu/ILRiverhortvideos.

Container grown bananas can be brought indoors and enjoyed as houseplants during the winter if you give them lots of light and humidity. Provide plants with the brightest location possible. Locate plants in high humidity areas if good light is available or group plants together. Grouping naturally raises the humidity in the vicinity. Expect some leaf loss and browning when they are brought indoors from their outdoor location.

Most bananas are tropical and will die quickly if left out in our winter cold; but, there is a hardy banana available called the Japanese Fiber Banana (Musa basjoo). Basjoo grows in plant hardiness zones 5 through 11. Central Illinois is in zone 5, so the plant might need a heavy mulch to survive a severely cold winter. Typically, the top will die back during the winter, and the roots survive to grow again in the spring. This banana has large bright green 6 feet long leaves and grows to 15-foot-tall.

Bananas are very easy to grow in our hot, humid summers. Give them full sun, and lots of water and they will grow so fast that you can almost watch them develop before your very eyes. They also multiply quickly by sending up suckers (pups) from the mother plant’s roots.